The most frequent arrangement for the administration of parenteral drugs to a patient involves the use of an intravenous or giving set. In its simplest form an intravenous administration set is a length of tubing, one end of which is provided with a fitting for making connection to the stopper or outlet port of a bottle or flexible bag of intravenous solution, and the other end being provided with a needle, the scarf of which is adapted to be positioned within the vein of the patient. The set is otherwise provided with means to control flow rate and the like which are not relevant to the topic at hand.
In more recent years, it has become commonplace to infuse two intravenous solutions concurrently. This procedure is often referred to as "piggybacking". In order to permit piggybacking, intravenous administration sets are now provided with so-called Y-sites, the Y-site affording a second site for connection to the second source of intravenous solution. The Y-site is also commonly used as the place of injection of parenteral drugs in bolus form by pushing the drug from a hypodermic syringe through the Y-site and into the patient.
The problem addressed by the present invention arises from the occurrence of the acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS) crises. The making of Y-site connections involves a number of manual including digital operations, often done in haste or under awkward circumstances. These manual procedures have frequently resulted in inadvertent needle punctures to nurses, physicians and technicians. In the past, such punctures of a minor consequence, represented little more than an inconvenience to the involved personnel. However, with the onset of the AIDS crises, this inconvenience has taken on a far more ominous nature, carrying with it the exposure of hospital personnel to the risk of contracting AIDS.
The present invention is addressed to reducing and eliminating this risk by means of a novel arrangement at the Y-site as more fully hereinafter described. It is believed that this invention makes an important contribution to the art and will be widely adopted by health care institutions and personnel.